WEDNESDAY EDITION: New rules in
Switzerland if you happen to be in the area....I have been
getting email that I should listen in to 3844, so give it a
whirl...Louisiana has their
shit together....This is where I
go in the winter...A promising
vaccine....
Jon...
I recall you mentioning
that Ray NR1R had picked up the RSP-dx for use as a hambands
receiver. I have one of the original RSP-1s that I use on
field trips to look at RF around sites. The company now
has a pretty competent spectrum analyser (note that it's a
Brit outfit and they spell analyzer differently) software
download free of charge. For little money, we now have a
usable analyz(s)er in the shack. I use mine for chasing
RFI nasties.
The latest space weather forecast from Dr Tamitha
Skov WX6SWW
Radio hams active in aftermath of Cyclone Amphan
The New Indian Express reports that as communications failed
post-Amphan, a ham radio club tuned in to save the day
For two days after Cyclone Amphan tore through the state,
Ramkrishna Kar, a resident of Barasat town in North 24 Parganas
district, had no news of his family in Bagbazar area of Sagar
Island in South 24 Parganas district.
Kar, who lives in
Barasat for work-related reasons, had no idea how his parents,
wife and son were doing since Sagar Island, which bore the brunt
of the storm, got completely cut off from the rest of the state.
With electricity, internet and mobile networks down, Kar got
in touch with the ham radio operators at the West Bengal Radio
Club (Amateur Club). The club dispatched one of its members,
Dibas Mondol, to contact Kar’s family.
Mondol cycled
through the desolate landscape to reach Kar’s home. Then, he
shot their video message, and transmitted it using the slow scan
television (SSTV) method, which is a way of sending video
[images] over a voice bandwidth.
Earth's magnetic field has a weak spot: The South
Atlantic Anomaly, where space radiation comes closer than
usual to our planet's surface.
New data from Europe's Swarm spacecraft shows that the
Anomaly might be splitting in two, creating a new weak spot
near Africa in addition to the original over South America.
In this video Lewis M3HHY looks
at a mysterious radio transmitter hidden in the
woods
Watch the video
TUESDAY EDITION: I am
still waiting for the sun to burn off the overcast here on the
rock, it sure would be nice to see the sun a few days in a
row....Good story about a ten
year old ham.....Hams being
hams...
Would-be radio amateur living in camper van during pandemic
Business Insider reports on Kristin Hanes
who with her partner Tom (studying for his ham
radio licence) is living and traveling in a 1994 Chevy Astro van
during California's stay-at-home order
Hanes is
editor-in-chief of 'The Wayward Home' and since 2016 she and Tom
have been living in a sailboat. They started traveling in the
Chevy Astro van even before the statewide stay-at-home order
went into effect on March 19. They wanted to steer clear of
populated areas after learning of how the virus was already
spreading.
“It is kind of scary when you’re living in a
van to have a shelter-in-place order,” Hanes told Business
Insider.
Tom usually works as an electrical contractor in
San Francisco, but his work is paused in light of the pandemic.
He’s studying to become a licensed ham radio operator for the
time being.
Radio amateur Russell Hill, 74, and family friend Carol Clay,
73, were last reported being seen on March 20
On May 23
,the Sydney Morning Herald reported:
Carol Clay, 73,
and family friend Russell Hill, 74, have not been seen since
they embarked on a camping trip to Wonnangatta Valley, about 250
kilometres north-east of Melbourne, on March 19.
Mr Hill,
an amateur radio enthusiast, contacted one of his friends on
March 20, telling him that he was setting up camp, but could not
talk for long as it was getting dark.
A field mill is a specialized instrument used for measuring
the strength of electric fields in the atmosphere, one of the
key parameters of atmospheric electricity. They are used in the
launch criteria for rockets bound for orbit, as well as the
now-retired Space Shuttle, to avoid lightning strikes. They are
also used in outdoor laboratories for lightning protection
equipment to determine favorable experiment conditions[1], or
simply to measure the atmospheric electric field away from
thunderstorms.
The "mill" is a typical rotating shutter design in the
instrument. It can be deployed airborne and flown through anvil
head clouds to make measurements.
Take and tour of an interesting homemade piece of electrical
test gear.
We'll take it apart and explore the inner workings, and cover
the theory of operation in detail.
Yesterday, At Middlesex GWOT
Veterans monument, in Pepperell, MA honoring those veterans who
served in the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars post 911. They placed
7008 flags around this year. wb1abc photo
MEMORIAL DAY EDITION: My friend Steve- K1PEK fell
eight feet and landed on a concrete floor and broke his hip
yesterday. He will be getting a hip replacement bolted in on
Memorial Day at Lahey Hospital in MA, pay the extra money and
get the optional grease fittings installed buddy....
He's the Kendecomm/ACS owner
and technician for those blue box repeaters:
tnx Kriss- GJU
North Woods Law shooting an episode
across the street from my driveway yesterday..Joe- K1JEK
I hired a diver to check out my mooring Saturday
morning, electrolysis eats up the chain. Cheap
insurance.....This should be an interesting weekend around here
on the island, beaches are closed to just residents and the boat
ramp is closed and only available by appointment online. I
wonder how many fistfights will occur from people driving hours
to beach/swim or go boating and get thwarted...Cool laser
takedown of drone....Today's
dumbass in Georgia....Wearing a mask does not go against
your constitutional
rights...Another
dumbass, this time in Alabama..
What's the Difference Between Memorial Day and Veterans Day?
On both Memorial Day and Veterans Day, it's customary
to spend time remembering and honoring the countless veterans
who have served the United States throughout the country's
history. However, there is a distinction between the
two holidays:
Memorial Day commemorates the men and
women who died while in the military
service of their country, particularly those who died in
battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle. In
other words, the purpose of Memorial Day is to memorialize
the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice
for their country. We spend time remembering those who lost
their lives and could not come home, reflecting on their
service and why we have the luxury and freedom that we enjoy
today. We might consider how we can support and safeguard
their grieving families and loved ones who are left behind.
Veterans Day is the day set aside to
thank and honor ALL who served-in
wartime or peacetime-regardless of whether they died or
survived. Veterans Day is always observed officially on
November 11, regardless of the day of the week on which it
falls.
Foundations of Amateur Radio
The antenna and coax you use matter
During the week I climbed on my roof and installed a base
antenna for the 2m and 70cm band. The antenna is a Diamond
X-300N. It's 3 meters tall, has a gain of 6.5 dB on 2m and 9 dB
on 70cm. I've owned it for just under eight years and this week
I finally took it out of the box and installed it. I know, I
know, in my defence, you shouldn't rush these things.
Truth is, until this week I really didn't have a realistic
way of installing it. Several factors needed to come together.
Some of them trivial, others less so. In the end, the antenna is
now installed on my roof, connected via coax through my roof to
my radio.
Now before we get all excited about what that means, let's
compare my previous outdoor setting to the current one.
Today I'm using LMR-400 coax, 30 meters of it. Previously I
used RG-58, but only 20 meters of it.
From a coax perspective, even though I increased the length
by 30%, my loss actually went down, on 70cm it went down by over
4 dB. If you recall, 3 dB loss is the same as losing half your
signal, so before my 5 Watts even got to the antenna, I'd
already lost more than half of it using RG-58.
I will mention right now that the numbers I'm giving here are
purposefully not exact. There's no point. Your situation and
mine are not the same, and my two installations are barely
equivalent, so actual numbers don't help you.
The point I'm making is that the type of coax you use to feed
your antenna can make a massive difference. In my case that
difference means that half of my 5 Watts never even made it to
the antenna.
In addition to this the two antennas are different. Not by
much, but enough to make a difference. As icing on the cake the
new antenna is longer by a third, so my new antenna has a better
horizon, it's higher off the ground, even if it's installed at a
similar height.
You might recall that loss and gain are dependent on
frequency, so any calculation needs to be done for each band
you're going to use. In my case I had to do this twice, once for
the 2m band and once for the 70cm band.
I should also mention that depending on the SWR of your
antenna, the losses also change, but let's not go there today.
If you want to actually figure out what this means for your
station, the calculation goes a little like this.
Take the power output from your radio, subtract the coax loss
and add the antenna gain. The end result is a number that
represents the gain - or loss - from the entire system. If coax
loss and antenna gain are the same, you're not losing anything,
but you're also not gaining anything.
The reward for the aches and pains from climbing on and in my
roof are represented by the fact that now my 5 Watt signal on 2m
effectively became 10 Watts. On 70cm it became 13 Watts.
With the added height and gain in addition to being able to
hit all the local repeaters, I can now hear the local beacon and
I've successfully decoded the JT4 and JT65 messages that the
beacon spits out.
It's only been a week, but it's already made a massive
difference.
No doubt my on-air experience will also benefit from this
adventure.
Unfortunately, to do this for yourself is not quite as simple
as giving you a link and punching in the numbers. I won't make
any promises I cannot keep, but I am looking into it.
I'm Onno VK6FLAB
New product HAMKit VMAC ESP32
The new HAMKit VMAC ESP32 product, has just
been released.
This is a small but powerful board, driven by an ESP32, which
provides a very flexible Audio and Video Switching Matrix, with
on-board DTMF Decoder, OSD Graphics, Video Signal Detectors and
Synchronous Bucks.
The HAMKit VMAC ESP32 is easily software controlled from the
on-board ESP32 WROOM 32D. Software can be easily developed such
as using the Arduino IDE, Visual Studio Code and Platform IO
IDE, Espressif IDF or Espressif ESP RainMaker. Home Automation
via MQTT a great opportunity too for the ATV station or remote
ATV/DATV repeater control.
Features: Flexible Audio/Video Matrix, ESP32 (with Wifi and
BT), MQTT Home Automation Capable, OSD (On Screen Display), DTMF
Decoder, 5 x Video Detectors, 5 x Video Inputs, 5 x Audio
Inputs, 5 x Squelch / RX Inputs, DC Input 6-30V (Max32V), 3v3
and 5V PSU, Synchronous 2A Bucks, Matrix Video Output, Matrix
Audio Output, PTT Output (FET), Relay Output (NC/NO), UART
Programming.
Further details maybe found on our website
hamkit.co.uk
Federal Judge Okays Retrieval of Titanic Marconi Wireless
Equipment
A US federal judge in Virginia has given permission to
retrieve the ill-fated RMS Titanic’s Marconi wireless
gear, which transmitted distress calls from the sinking
ocean liner during its maiden voyage. Judge Rebecca Beach
Smith of the US District Court in Norfolk ruled that the
radio gear is historically and culturally important and
could soon be lost within the rapidly decaying wreck. The
Titanic sank after striking an iceberg some 370
miles off the coast of Newfoundland in 1912.
“The Marconi device has significant historical,
educational, scientific, and cultural value as the device
used to make distress calls while the Titanic was
sinking,” Judge Smith wrote in her ruling. She said the
company would be permitted “minimally to cut into the wreck”
to access the radio room.
David Concannon, a lawyer for R.M.S Titanic
Inc., which the court has recognized as the steward of
the vessel’s artifacts, said the company would try to avoid
cutting into the ship, noting that the radio room may be
reachable via a skylight that was already open. More legal
wrangling may lie ahead. The National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) contends that the
retrieval expedition is still prohibited under US law and
under an international agreement between the US and the UK.
R.M.S Titanic has said the radio transmitter could
unlock some of the secrets about a missed warning message
and distress calls sent from the ship.
“It tells an important story,” Concannon said. “It
tells of the heroism of the operators that saved the lives
of 705 people. They worked until water was lapping at their
feet.”
In an April court filing, NOAA argued against the
salvage effort, saying that any benefit to be realized from
cutting into the vessel to recover the Marconi equipment
would not be “worth the cost to the resource and not in the
public interest.”
RMS Titanic sought permission to
carry out what it called a “surgical removal and retrieval”
of the Marconi radio equipment. As might be expected, the
deteriorating Marconi equipment is in poor shape after more
than a century under water. The undersea retrieval would
mark the first time an artifact was collected from within
the Titanic, which many believe should remain
undisturbed as the final resting place of some 1,500 victims
of the maritime disaster. The wreck sits on the ocean floor
some 2 1/2 miles beneath the surface, and remained
undiscovered until 1985. R.M.S. Titanic said it plans to use
a manned submarine to reach the wreck and then deploy a
remotely controlled sub to retrieve the radio equipment.
FRIDAY EDITION: 3927 was the pick of the
night for background listening last night. It is interesting
listening to political views from different parts of the
country, especially the southerners and mid western states. We
don't have a clue here in New England with the biased liberal
media..... The 75 meter band sure doesn't have a lot of open
frequencies if you wanted to start a nightly net. I believe I
heard the ARRL wants to open up some space for additional phone
privileges for the tech license. What a shit show that would
be....Pretty quiet on 3910 as of late, missing the old "black
sheep" group......Skywarn
spotters article....I watch this shit happening all the time
down at the harbor...
FT8 used for ham radio Moonbounce (EME) contact
Joe Taylor K1JT reports what is possibly the
first FT8 contact via Moonbouce (EME) which took place on
Thursday, May 21, 2020 between Paul W2HRO and Peter PA2V
Joe writes:
Paul and Peter used WSJT-X 2.2.0-rc1, a
beta-release candidate for version 2.2 of the program WSJT-X.
Both stations have moderate 4-yagi setups on 432.
Conditions today were not particularly good: degradation around
3 dB, and the Sun only 20 degrees from the Moon.
For
terrestrial use the FT8 decoder searches over the range -2.5 to
+2.4s for clock offset DT between transmitting and receiving
stations. When "Decode after EME delay" is checked on the
WSJT-X "Settings" screen, the accessible DT range becomes -0.5
to +4.4 s. Just right for EME.
FT8 uses 8-GFSK
modulation with tones separated by 6.25 Hz. At the time of
this QSO the expected Doppler spread on the W2HRO - PA2V EME
path was 8 Hz, which causes some additional loss of sensitivity.
Nevertheless, as you'll see in screen shots posted here, copy
was solid in both directions:
Why might you want to use FT8 instead of "Old Reliable JT65"
for EME QSOs? FT8 is about 4 dB less sensitive than JT65,
but with 15-second T/R sequences it's four times faster and it
doesn't use Deep Search.
When I was active in EME
contests on 144 MHz, I was always frustrated that even with
reasonably strong (for EME) signals, one's maximum JT65 QSO rate
is about 12 per hour. With FT8 you can do 40 per hour, as
long as workable stations are available.
What about FT8
EME on 1296 MHz? It might sometimes work, but Doppler
spread will probably make standard FT8 a problem. But if
there were sufficient interest, we could make an "FT8B" or
"FT8C" with wider tone spacing.
Please try FT8 for EME on
any of the bands 144, 432, and 1296 MHz, and let us know your
results. 73, Joe, K1JT
In 'Memory of Dayton Hamvention 2020' net
Astronomy Meets Amateur Radio will be conducting it’s “In
Memory Of Dayton 2020” net on Saturday May 23 5:00 PM.
EDT/2:00 PM PDT.
http://www.n4mqu.com/amar/ The net will be on TGIF
talk group 440, AllStar 42235 and Echolink node 42704.
This group is dedicated to the pursuit of two objectives:
(1) The training, education, and dissemination of the
benefits, fun, excitement and value of Amateur Radio.
(2) The training, education, and dissemination of the art
and excitement of astronomy.
The group was featured on a story in Amateur Radio
Newsline.
CHAT News reports on amateur radio in the city of Medicine
Hat in southeast Alberta
The news report says:
The radio waves were the home for chatrooms for most of the 20th
century and long before the advent of the internet. And despite
the world relying more and more on the World Wide Web, amateur
radio operators continue to talk the talk in the city.
Ralph Garnett VA6RHG, chair of the Medicine Hat
Amateur Radio Club, says there are still about 300 licenced
operators in the city but likely only a few dozen who are
active.
But while ham radio is largely considered a hobby
which allows people to communicate offline across the planet,
it’s the ability to utilize the older technology in emergencies
which also allows it to continue.
This week's bulletin was made possible with information
provided by The Daily DX, the OPDX Bulletin, 425 DX News, DXNL,
Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM
web sites. Thanks to all.
ZAMBIA, 9J. Mario, IZ3KVD is QRV as 9J2MYT until the end of
May. Activity has been on 20, 17, 15 and 10 meter SSB. QSL
via IZ3KVD direct only.
CHINA, BI4. Members of the ZhangJiaGang Amateur Radio
Association will be active as BI4WXD during the CQWW WPX CW
Contest as a Multi-2/High-Power entry. QSL via BI4SCC.
AUSTRIA, OE30. Hannes, OE1SGU is QRV as OE30MAGICBAND until
June 30. Activity is to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the
allocation of the 6 meter band (50-52 MHz) to Austrian amateurs.
Activity will be mainly on 6 meters using CW, SSB and the
digital modes. QSL via LoTW and eQSL.
GUATEMALA, TG. Enrique, YS1RM is active as TG9/YS1RM. His
length of his stay is unknown. Activity is on various HF bands
and modes. QSL via YS1RM, direct, LoTW or eQSL.
FRANCE, TM0. Members of the Ondes et Micro-Informatique Radio
Club are active as TM0BEE until May 24. Activity is to celebrate
United Nations World Bee Day. Operations will be on 80 to 6
meters using CW, SSB, FT8/FT4 and PSK. QSL via F6KUQ, via the
Bureau or eQSL.
CANARY ISLANDS, EA8. Members of the Radio Club Laurilsiva
(EA8RKL) from Gran Canaria (AF-004) celebrate the Day of the
Canary Islands on the air from May 24 to 31 with the call sign
EH8DDC. QSL via ClubLog, eQSL.
SWITZERLAND, HB9. The SOTA Group Switzerland (HB9SOTA)
celebrates its 15th anniversary with special event call sign
HB15SOTA until May 9, 2021. QSL via HB9DPR, bureau.
COLOMBIA, HK. Members of the Liga Colombiana de
Radioaficionados (LCRA, HK3LR) support the current pandemic
restrictions with the call sign 5JSTAYHOME. QSL via HK3LR.
ITALY, I. 4U9STAYHOME operates from the UN Global Service
Center's Amateur Radio Club (4U1GSC) until June 15. QSL via
9A2AA (d/B).
LITHUANIA, LY. LY56BC remains active until the end of May,
commemorating the 56th Baltic Contest.
RUSSIA, RA. Special event stations R115MS, RM35MS and UE35MS
celebrate the 115th birthday of Mikhail Sholokhov, recipient of
the 1965 Nobel Prize for Literature, until June 24. QSL via
ClubLog OQRS.
POLAND, SP. 3Z100KW will be QRV until May 31, celebrating the
100th birthday of Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla) from his
birthplace of Wadowice. QSL to SP9ZKN direct or via the bureau
or ClubLog.
INDIA, VU. Subbu, VU2NSL operates the COVID-19 special event
call sign AT9SS until July 28. QSL via LoTW or VU2NSL direct.
ROMANIA, YO. YO1STAYHOME and YO19STAYHOME are QRV until
September 15.
SOUTH AFRICA, ZS. Special event station ZS1820S celebrates
the arrival of the first British settlers at the South African
Cape 200 years ago. They are QRV throughout 2020. QSL via ZS2EC
(d/B), LoTW and ClubLog.
GEORGIA, 4L. Op Vaho, 4L8A will be active during the CQWW WPX
CW Contest as a Single-Op/Single-Band 20 meter entry. QSL via
M0OXO, OQRS or LoTW.
DENMARK, 5Q6. Henning, OZ2I/OZ1BI will be QRV as 5Q6EE from
the EDR HQ station in Odense during the CQWW WPX CW Contest as a
Single-Op/Low-Power entry. QSL via OZ2I, LoTW, eQSL or ClubLog's
OQRS.
UNITED STATES, K. Allan, KV4T and his wife Bridget, KS4YT
will be QRV on Grand Isle from May 22 to 25, signing home calls
/p. They will be on 80, 40, 30 and 20 meters using SSB, CW, FT4
and FT8. QSL via home calls direct, LoTW and eQSL.
ENGLAND, G. David, G4YVM will be active as GB4DLS until June
2 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the pivotal role played
by the Dunkirk Little Ships during Operation Dynamo, May 26 to
June 4, 1940. He will operate mainly CW, but with some SSB as
well. QSL via G4YVM.
THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO The Baltic
Contest, QRP ARCI Hootowl Sprint and QCX Challenge are on tap
for this holiday weekend. The SKCC Sprint is May 27. The RSGB
80-Meter Club Championship is on May 28. The PODXS 070 Club
3-Day Weekend Contest is May 29.
Please see May 2020 QST, page 69 and the
ARRL
and
WA7BNM contest web sites for details
THURSDAY EDITION: Good morning, looks like a
stretch of sunny and warm weather here on the rock. Still too
early to think about getting the boat ready for the mooring....I
was bored and listened around 75 last night. 3919 is the same
old thing, Bobby talks all night. 3843 was quiet because
3844 was occupied by some rather crude and loud ops. Looks like
the 3843 group is getting crowded out!....What is in the water
down in
Florida?...What could go wrong with
opening up too soon?....
IC-705 QRP SDR transceiver update
Icom
have announced details about the launch of the
IC-705 QRP SDR ultra-portable transceiver.
Available to the Japanese HAM community from the middle
of June 2020, deliveries are planned to the rest of the
world shortly afterwards.
We here at Icom UK are very excited
about getting our first 705's very soon.
This new "go anywhere" HF/VHF/UHF is the radio that
everyone has been talking about since its announcement at
the 2019 JA fair in Tokyo.
After being seen at the Show in Japan, the Global Ham
community has been anticipating its arrival with much
demand.
Including its SDR platform, internal battery, GPS,
Bluetooth and D-STAR, in a compact and lightweight body, the
Icom IC-705 uses the same 4.3″ colour touch screen display
as the IC-7300 and IC-9700 and features a real-time spectrum
scope and waterfall display.
We expect the UK version of the IC-705 to arrive soon
after the Japan launch and anticipate a price of around
£1299.99 including VAT (subject to confirmation). We
encourage you to
sign up to our newsletter or
our social media channels for news updates
regarding this model.
As you may expect, the demand for this product is very
high when it does hit the UK. So If you want to be one of
the first customers to get your hands on this model, contact
your Amateur Radio dealer today.
Islands On The Air Users May Obtain Award Credits via
Logbook of The World
Islands On The Air (IOTA)
users may now obtain contact credits via ARRL’s Logbook of
The World (LoTW). A similar arrangement is already in place
with Club Log.
“Islands On The Air (IOTA) Ltd. is delighted to announce
the implementation of the ARRL application which allows the
use of QSO-matching via LoTW,” IOTA’s Roger Balister, G3KMA,
said. “We wish to thank ARRL for having made their
application available.”
Balister said an initial list of operations extending
from the arrangement with LoTW has been added to the IOTA
database, and these will become available for
contact-matching starting on May 21. “We are sure that the
IOTA community will welcome this development for which they
have long been pressing,” Balister added.
ARRL Director of Operations Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, points out
that LoTW has, for years, allowed award sponsors access to a
utility that lets them verify contacts in LoTW. “The IOTA
folks have begun using this utility, but still check the
QSOs against known IOTA operations,” he explained, noting
that applicants cannot apply for IOTA awards through LoTW.
To claim a new island group from matched LoTW contacts,
users would click on “Retrieve QSOs from LoTW” to retrieve
matching records. Within 30 minutes, IOTA users will receive
an email listing the matches added to a list of pending
contacts.
Use the “Submit HF application” or “Submit VHF
application” utilities to go through the steps necessary to
ensure that your application is complete before submitting
it. Once IOTA has accepted the LoTW-matched contacts and any
others in an application supported by QSL cards, IOTA will
credit the contacts to your IOTA Award account and issue any
appropriate awards or certificates.
Tony Gonzalez, EA5RM, and Ned Stearns, AA7A, inducted to CQ
DX Hall of Fame
CQ magazine today announced the induction of the two
newest members of the CQ DX Hall of Fame,
which honors those DXers who not only excel in personal
performance but who also "give back" to the hobby in
outstanding ways. CQ DX Editor Bob Schenck, N2OO, made a
virtual presentation on the Ham Nation podcast on May
20.
The 2020 inductees to the CQ DX Hall of Fame are:
Tony Gonzalez, EA5RM - has been an
active DXpeditioner for 20 years, often organizing and
leading teams to operate from difficult and challenging
locations. Tony and his teams have also helped establish
or re-establish amateur radio activities in several
countries, including Rwanda (where it had been banned
for a decade due to civil war) and the newly-independent
country of South Sudan.
In addition, Tony has made 10 trips to Bolivia to
establish and maintain HF communication links between
medical facilities and remote villages in the Amazon
rain forest, and has operated as CP1XRM during his free
time. Tony's work in South America earned him the ARRL
International Humanitarian Award in 2015.
Edward "Ned" Stearns, AA7A - is an
accomplished DXer, DXpeditioner (he's been on 32 of them
and led 8) and technical innovator. He introduced the
use of switchable vertical dipole array antennas on
island DXpeditions and designed "dual-band discone"
antennas for use with the Northern California DX
Foundation's worldwide beacon network. Ned also worked
with 2019 DX Hall of Fame inductee Joe Taylor, K1JT, on
developing the "Fox/Hound" mode for FT8 used by
DXpeditions.
Ned also maintains two remote stations in Arizona,
has made presentations at many technical conferences and
has served in a variety of leadership roles in the
hobby. On the air, he is at the Top of the Honor Roll
for DXCC Phone and Mixed, was the first recipient of
11-band DXCC and has worked over 160 countries via EME
(Earth-Moon-Earth).
This year's induction ceremony was scheduled to be
conducted online on Wednesday, May 20, on the Ham Nation
podcast (<https://twit.tv/shows/ham-nation>).
The CQ DX Hall of Fame was established in 1967 to
recognize those amateurs who have made major
contributions to DXing and DXpeditioning. This is the
54th annual induction, and the first to be conducted
online.
Malawi operation postponed
Pista, HA5AO, who was expected to be active
as 7Q7AO from Malawi during the second half of
September/early October 2020, has postponed his operation.
He states: "Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and travel
restrictions I have to postpone my planned operation from
Malawi. New date will be announced."
Members of the Emirates Amateur Radio Society
(EARS) will activate twelve stations with suffix NMT
(National Medical Taskforce) during the COVID-19 pandemic
crisis.
This is recognition of the efforts of all medical teams and
cadres, and all health workers in the country, including
doctors, nurses, paramedics, administrators and technicians, who
work around the clock, in light of the conditions and challenges
that the world is currently experiencing due to the outbreak.
Length of their activity is not known at this time.
Look for the following stations: A60NMT/1 - Op A61M; QSL
via A61BK A60NMT/2 - Op A61Q; QSL via EA7FTR A60NMT/3 -
Op A61NN; QSL via A61NN A60NMT/4 - Op A61FK; QSL via A61BK
A60NMT/5 - Op A61DD; QSL via A92AA A60NMT/6 - Op A61QQ;
QSL via A61BK A60NMT/7 - Op A61FJ; QSL via direct
A60NMT/8 - Op A61RJ; QSL via direct A60NMT/9 - Op A61HA; QSL
via A61BK A60NMT/10 - Op A61GC; QSL via direct A60NMT/11
- Op A61AY; QSL via direct A60NMT/12 - Op A61BK; QSL via
A61BK
WEDNESDAY EDITION:
America only gets better all the time. My new refrigerator was
delivered yesterday and I get to enjoy it for about 8 years, the
average lifespan of a new refrigerator! I purchased the 5 year
warranty and feel like I just bought a new
automobile....fleeced. It is called planned
obsolescence....remember when a refrigerator lasted for 20
years, you replaced it because you got sick of looking at it. I
made an attempt to buy a small freezer so I could hoard a little
meat and ice cream, no such thing available until late summer.
If you are looking for a bicycle, good luck, sold out
everywhere....and still no damn hand sanitizer on the shelves at
Market Basket. About the only thing in stock is ham radio stuff
at HRO!
Email today:
Bob Mitchell, W1NH/W1SWX is
currently in Elliot Hospital, Room 583, Bed 1,
One Elliot Way, Manchester, NH 03103. I just had a nice chat with Bob and I
am sure he would like to hear from some of his old 160M friends.
You can reach him at 603-669-5300 or via the address above.
73, Dennis, K2SX/ex W1DYE
Check out the Job requirements....made me chuckle ...
ARRL Invites Applications for Awards and Programs Assistant
ARRL is inviting applications to fill the position of
Awards and Programs Assistant at ARRL Headquarters in
Newington, Connecticut. This is a full-time, non-exempt
opening in the Radiosport and Field Services Department. The
pay range is from $16.08
to 19.30 per hour.
The Awards and Programs Assistant will help with all
Radiosport and Field Services Department activities, with an
initial priority on Logbook of The World (LoTW) support.
Other duties may involve supporting DXCC and other awards
programs, W1AW station operations, and contest program and
field service support. This individual would also handle
special projects that may be assigned and represent ARRL in
public forums worldwide.
The successful candidate will possess a well-rounded
knowledge of amateur radio, an Amateur Extra-class
license, and 2 years of operating experience;
the ability to quickly understand and explain software
functionality, and proficiency in keyboarding and data
entry. This individual should have attained DXCC,
regularly submit contest logs to sponsors, use LoTW,
and be able to resolve issues efficiently
A bachelor’s degree is preferred. The
ideal candidate will have excellent interpersonal,
telephone, and listening skills and be proficient in public
presentations. Some overnight travel may be required.
To apply, submit a cover letter and resume via mail,
email, or fax to ARRL, c/o
Monique Levesque,
225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111 (fax 860-594 -0298). For
complete position information, visit ARRL
Employment Opportunities and scroll
down to “Awards and Programs Assistant.”
ARRL is an equal opportunity employer.
Introduction to the AMSAT GOLF program
AMSAT is developing a satellite program that should see
amateur transponders in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth
Orbit (MEO) and eventually High Earth Orbit (HEO)
GOLF is an acronym for Greater Orbit, Larger
Footprint
The goal of the GOLF program is to work by
steps through a series of increasingly capable spacecraft to
learn skills and systems for which we do not yet have any
low-risk experience. Among these are active attitude
control, deployable/steerable solar panels, radiation tolerance
for Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) components in higher orbits,
and propulsion.
The first step is to be one or more Low
Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites similar to the existing AO-91 and
AO-92, but with technologies needed for higher orbits.
With proven technologies, an interim high LEO or Medium Earth
Orbit (MEO) satellite would follow on.
The eventual goal is a High Earth Orbit (HEO) similar to
AO-10, AO-13, and AO-40, but at a currently affordable cost
combined with significantly enhanced capabilities which in turn
will allow the use of much less complex ground stations.
Sir Martin Sweeting G3YJO - Early years and favourite
space missions
Radio amateur Sir Martin Sweeting G3YJO
has recorded a series of home videos from Coronavirus
lockdown to record answers to the questions he is most
frequently asked
In this episode he talks about his
inspiration for pioneering the original SmallSats revolution
and reveals two of his favourite SSTL missions.
Watch Sir Martin Sweeting - early years & favourite missions
On May 19 in 1930, the first amateur radio licenses were
issued in Czechoslovakia.
The following special event stations commemorate this 90th
anniversary: OL901AA, OL901AB, OL902AC, OL901AF, OL902AG, and
OL901AH.
In addition, OL90SKEC, OL90KVAC, OL90CAV, OL90ROH,
OL90SVAZARM, and OL90CRK mark past and present amateur radio
organisations in the Czech Republic. All QRV until May 31. An
award is available as well.
TUESDAY EDITION: Good
Day!....Rick-KM1G promised a review of his new air fryer but
Norm beat him to the punch.....Everything is going just fine
down in
Florida...Not so fast, I think I will
stay put....
Email today:
Jon...
Being too impatient to wait for the As The World Turns brain
trust to reveal its findings, I bought a Ninja 4 qt air fryer,
about $110 shipped on Ebay. Not having my preferred russet
taters for french fries, I used two yellow taters ( for two of
us) and a dripping tablespoon of olive oil, some salt and garlic
powder and went to town. I turned and flipped the fries in
the basket twice so they'd be evenly cooked, hitting the pause
button, and had them extra crispy in a bit over 25
minutes. Verdict is they are very good and the small
quantity of oil won't congeal my arteries as fast as the
immersion fryer. There's a recipe in the quick-start
booklet for some breaded fried cod filets that shows a bit over
20 minutes including prep time, I'll see about finding
some dead fish (cod, haddock, salmon) and give that a try.
Cleanup is much easier than the deep fryer. Our verdict is
that the unit is a keeper.
73 de Norm W1ITT
Australia moves closer to getting WRC-15 60m (5 MHz)
band
WIA reports the ACMA has released a
public consultation titled Possible use of the 5351.5–5366.5
kHz band by the amateur service
Recently released
on the ACMA website for public comment, the ACMA is
currently seeking feedback on amateur access to the 5 MHz
band in Australia. This is excellent news from our friends
at ACMA given the amount of hams globally who will be
chasing Australia for confirmation on 60m but with 15W EIRP,
the DX will be challenging.
It is also an excellent
band choice for general low power experimentation with even
new digital modes like WSPR, FT8 etc and for inter
continental communications around Australia and our close
neighbours when 80m and 40m may be unsuitable that 60m is
the better solution, especially for outback and remote
emergency communications.
The True Story Of The
Midland Terminal Ghost Train by Vern Thompson W6ZJU
It was late in the afternoon a year after the last run of the
Midland Terminal Railroad (1950), My boss at Radio Station KRDO,
Colorado Springs, took me aside and asked if I would be
available that night for a special project such as running a
ghost train through Manitou Springs. I of course said yes, Due
to past experience his special projects were all very
interesting and fun. The rails had been removed at that time.
He explained that he had borrowed a powerful PA system
with two large horn speakers and a turntable on top of the
amplifier that operated 6 volts DC. Vehicles had 6-volt systems
at that time. His plan was to go to the Midland roadbed through
a couple tunnels on the southwest side of Manitou and make
believe the train was coming down the Ute pass. He needed my "48
Plymouth” business coupe with the giant trunk to transport the
speakers. In his Studebaker we put the amplifier with the
turntable and an auxiliary input, a RCA cartridge wire recorder
(no tape recorders yet) and necessary cabling for power and
speakers.
We had a cartridge with the starting up and
building up steam and the pumps starting and releasing steam.
The wire recorder continues with engine apply power to the drive
wheels and slowly picking up speed as it left the Cripple Creek
station and continue moving into the mountains north of Cripple
Creek with the choo chooing and with rumbling train sounds. This
was actual sound recorded in the engine, as the last train had
left the station a year earlier.
We had acetate disks
with various train sounds mostly whistles divided in to separate
cuts so they could be selected as appropriate. Leaving the
station, a road crossing, etc. and the last cut was the final
releasing of the steam and the engine's life ended in Colorado
City.
We started for Manitou Springs, Joe Rohrer, the
station owner, said on our station two-way 26 Mc radio that we
could probably make it to Cripple Creek by midnight. "What do
you thinks about extending our plan and start at the beginning
instead of just Manitou Springs." Of course that was ok with me
so off were to the Cripple Creek station (which was not long
there).
Arriving at the station site, which overlooked
the town, we set up, opening the Plymouth's big trunk and aimed
the speakers toward town and started the wire recording.
After a while a car drove up to us and it was the constable
investigating. He thought it was the greatest thing going. He
said the bars were loaded on that anniversary of the last run of
the Midland. Many of the patrons of the bars were also loaded.
Some even went up to the constable and volunteered to be taken
to jail as they were hearing things such as a train and must be
drunk. The track had been removed to the station area.
Joe was really flipping and asked if the constable would give
him a ride to town so he could observe the excitement. I had to
back the wire recorder up a couple time to keep the proper sound
for the engine just staying put. Joe was even more excited when
he saw the reaction to what they were hearing.
The
whistle came from the wire and the train began leaving the
station and choo chooing began. We found that if we varied the
base and treble on the amplified it made it sound like the train
was moving through the mountain and of course reducing the
volume until the train was gone.
We packed up and left.
There was a very small community a short distance down the road
so we went over to the tracks and connected up and had the train
fade in, blow the whistle, and fade out.
We drove down
the pass to Manitou Springs turned up a road that crossed the
track bed and tuned on to the bed toward the pass. After going
through a couple of short tunnels (these track had also been
removed) setup with the speakers aimed at the pass and ran the
train coming down Ute Pass, a few whistle blasts, slowly turning
it louder and messing with the tone controls for the fading
sound and the train come down the pass. Both of us wanted to
hear what it sounded like so we took the speakers out of the
truck and Joe drove down into town and cruised around. Then I
took my turn. It sounded real.
Finally it came to an end
with releasing all the steam. As Colorado City is a short
distance east of Manitou we aimed the speakers toward the east.
Finally all was quiet. We packed up and headed home. As
we leaving the train bed and about to enter the road here comes
a car speeding up the road. He saw us. It was the policeman on
duty. [An aside on this. At night the police in Manitou Springs
normally parked at a Y intersection in the middle of town next
to a pay phone. The pay phone was listed as the nighttime number
for the police department.] He stopped and backed up to let us
pass and followed us out of town. When the train was running and
Joe and I made our separate listening tours of the town we both
passed him at his phone station and I am sure he saw my car go
by both ways twice with different drivers. He was standing
outside his car listening when I passed.
The next
morning there was a story about the ghost train in the Denver's
Rocky Mountain News.
A note on the rails that we rode
on.
The rails between Colorado City and Cripple Creek
were standard gauge so it was possible to drive a car, with the
correct wheel spacing such as my Plymouth or Joe's Studebaker,
the entire length of the track before portions were removed.
Before starting out on a rail trip of any length I would want to
load two railroad ties in the trunk just in case I ran off the
rails. They would be, and were, used to lie along side of the
tracks to drive back on them. The tire pressure needed to be
lowered to about 15 to 20 pounds, which made the tires stay on
the track. No steering was needed, just a steadying of the
steering wheel so it would not tend to oscillate. If you wanted
to go the direction a switch was not set for you would use the
steering wheel to make it go the way you want to go.
In
the main line switch yard in Colorado Springs switch yard I came
off the track at a switch with full tire pressure and had a tire
wedged between the tracks of the switch. That was a job for the
jack and letting air out of the tire to get it free. Glad I had
a couple guys with me to get it back on the tracks and get out
of there never to return. That was rather scary as we did not
know if we were on the main line track.
Another time,
after a fraternity meeting we used to play ‘ditch'em’ on the way
to a diner north of town. On the road going north the main line
from Denver crossed the road at about 45 degrees and the other
guys were in hot pursuit. My tires were at low pressure I
steered on to the tracks going north. As the tracks were curving
to the north I could not see the tracks in the distance but I
could see a light flashing on the trees and structures on the
left. The engines had a rotating headlamp to give a flashing
effect. The rides on the main line tracks were very smooth when
I had occasion to use them. But I quickly got off at the next
street and whizzz, the regular scheduled train passed by.
As a sidelight to that, the next day at the radio station
they knew all about my close call. It so happen that a gal that
worked at the station lived in a house that backed up to the
track where this took place. She had just driven up behind the
house and heard the train coming so she stayed in her car to
avoid the dust the train would throw up as it passes. While
waiting for the train and watching for it she me drive by on the
main line just a short time before the train passed.
Not
long after the last run of the Midland train the Boss, his wife,
and an announcer and his wife drove up to Cripple Creek for
dinner and some beverages. As they were leaving Joe decide to
take the tracks home. This would have been entirely possible but
in their state it was a bad idea. Not having the best of
balance, he came off the track with no ties to get back on. He
probably did not reduce the air pressure of the tires. A really
bad night but the announcer made it to the station for the 6 am
sign on.
MONDAY EDITION: Ham
radio to be set up at
dams in India....Statistics from
Florida are scary....You only had one
damn job to do.....
2020 State of the Hobby Survey
Dustin N8RMA reports it's time for the
fourth annual survey into the State of Amateur Radio
First and foremost, I hope everyone is staying healthy
out there. The COVID-19 global pandemic has, for better
or worse, certainly cause a large amount of change in the
world today.
While I was originally hoping to release this survey
mid-March, due to the pandemic response I was forced to
change this up. I trust many others have had to make similar
adjustments, so I hope folks understand.
Last year
saw a huge increase in participation and I hope to continue
that trend in 2020.
Please take a few minutes to
fill out the survey for this year and share with your
radioactive peers. You can check out the survey link, along
with previous results on my blog!
Edition 86 of the free IARU Region 1 VHF-UHF-Microwave
newsletter is now available for download
The
newsletter notes:
In 50 MHz IARU Region 1 is keen to
encourage: • Overriding the current 12 kHz Bandwidth
limit • Wideband modes which can tolerate the variations
in 6m propagation perhaps for 32-64 and/or 128-256 kbps •
Review/deletion of multiple #SSTV/Image frequencies (50.51
and 50.55)
Concerning the Galileo GNSS constellation
which is now operating in the 23 cm Amateur and Amateur
Satellite allocation the UK Microwave Manager Barry
G4SJH says:
"the IARU takes a view that
the potential for large scale interference to RNSS is
overstated but is working with all parties in a good spirit
of cooperation."
Forbes magazine reports a deep ‘Solar Minimum’ is feared
as 2020 sees record-setting 100-day slump
Jamie
Carter writes:
While we on Earth suffer from
coronavirus, our star—the Sun—is having a lockdown all of
its own. Spaceweather.com reports that already there have
been 100 days in 2020 when our Sun has displayed zero
sunspots.
That makes 2020 the second consecutive
year of a record-setting low number of sunspots
So
are we in an eternal sunshine of the spotless kind?
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
International Special Committee on Radio Interference (CISPR)
has rejected a proposal by the Wireless Power Transfer (WPT)
lobby that would have resulted in pollution of the precious HF
RF spectrum
While Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) systems nominally operate
on frequencies below 150 kHz they can pollute the entire HF
spectrum up to 30 MHz not only ruining people's enjoyment of
radio but also potentially disrupting the communications of key
services.
A WPT paper notes:
"the business case for WPT systems expects a wide
spreading of their usage; in the ideal case, nearly one
system per household when mostly electric vehicles will
be used in the future."
Such an outcome could result in horrendous interference
levels and ruin the HF radio frequency spectrum which is a
precious natural resource.
I am listing a 3.7KW 10-80 meter
homebrew amplifier for a friend. He is downsizing for a future
move and needs to get it to a new home. This is not an amplifier
for the appliance operator and is very large and heavy.
" Single 4-1000A amp, grid driven, 80-10m, built by an
astute RF engineer, excellent workmanship, 29" hi rack. I last
ran this amp on air 9 years ago, running fine.I have no reason to think it would not perform the same
now.Tested 3740 kW
output with 130 W drive. Complete set up, ready to go, nothing
else needed but your rig to drive it. Comes with Bird wattmeter
like new condition with 5 kW element, Dow Key relay, 220 VAC
variac, an EXTRA 4-1000 tube. 8 KV xmfr (must weigh > 150 #,) 4
Kv supply,
Extra tube socket (new), SB610 Scope, Schematic & notes for
tuning and voltage settings. Screen and Filament Voltage both
have variacs.Vacuum
Variable tune.
NOTE:
I CAN NOT demonstrate this because I no longer have an exciter
or an antenna. I am in process of moving. The designer and
builder is willing to talk to you about it, once a serious buyer
is determined. Given that I can not demo it, I have priced it at
below what you could get for selling the parts SERIOUS ONLY
PLEASE: ****u need to be adequately versed in AMP tech aspects
or this AMP is NOT right for you*** (this amp can KILL you), not
a plug and play auto tune.
Tnx, email me and give me your call sign, tel # and then we can
talk on phone.
Again, serious only. I can give you references of ham business
owners who know my reputation.$ 1595.00 cash FIRM.
*** Potential to run this on AM:This amp originally
run Class C with 833A’s, plate modulated. If you have modulator
capability this amp can be run again on AM.I have no modulator parts or tubes.
References of business and media owners in this area who know me
will be provided if requested.
Contact Steve Davis, K1PEK,Sdavis@DavisRF.com
if serious and we can then talk on phone.Can ship but rather not due to amount of work to
correctly package it ($ 100.00 ) and then freight cost (delivery
to truck co. and freight cost discounted thru my company. Once I
know delivery address I can give you a quote).
WEEKEND EDITION: If you
don't live in New England, you don't know what your are missing!
Yesterday it was 70+ and sunny with a tad of humidity followed
by an early evening squall of cold 50mph gusts, thunder,
lightning, and hail. I wake up to sun and 60 with no humidity
this morning...could snow tonight!...
The Latest Episode of ARRL Audio News is Now Available
No sunspots appeared last week. The previous
seven days had only one big sunspot group on one day,
with a sunspot number of 35. Over the seven-day period
this averaged out to a sunspot number of 5, so average
daily sunspot numbers declined from 5 to 0 this week.
Average daily solar flux also declined, by one
point from 69.5 to 68.5.
Geomagnetic indicators were quiet, with average
daily planetary A index declining from 5.1 to 4.1, and
mid-latitude A index from 5 to 4.7.
Spaceweather.com reports that the percentage of
days with no sunspots so far in 2020 (76%) is close to
2019 (77%).
Foundations of Amateur Radio
Buying and using pre-loved equipment
The other day I received an email from Colin VK2JCC who
mentioned that he was a keen home brewer and he was
interested in a discussion about using ex-military gear in
amateur radio. If you want to see his beautiful rig, check
out Colin's Clansman PRC 320 Radio, does 2 to 30 MHz at 3 or
30 Watts. Look for his callsign and you'll also find a video
of him calling CQ.
Colin also shared his efforts for the construction of a
Ground Tuning Unit which started a whole different
exploration, but I'll leave that for another day.
Back to the topic at hand, ex-military gear in our hobby.
My initial thoughts on the subject were predictable: "What
on earth do I know about this and do I have anything useful
to contribute on the matter?"
It turns out that this isn't something new to me. You
might recall that I'm an IT professional in my non-amateur
life. In that role you'll likely never see me buying second
hand or refurbished gear, unless I installed it myself and
was the person responsible for its maintenance.
This same mindset prevails within my hobby. Although I am
the owner of several pieces of pre-loved equipment, it
arrived either because I knew the previous owner and where
they live, or because it arrived unencumbered at my door.
I go to hamfests and look askance at the gear on offer.
I'll buy connectors, a tower, but not so much anything in
the way of electronics. I asked around and I'm not alone in
this. Many of my peers have the same view. Why pay good
money for something that has been abused?
It occurred to me, that this mindset is based on the idea
that something can go wrong because the equipment has been
invisibly damaged. Of course that is possible. However, on
reflection, the reality is likely different.
In my professional life I've seen plenty of badly
maltreated equipment. I remember being called out to a
faulty computer that sat on the ground in the office in a
car mechanics workshop. The computer, used for accounting,
would on warm days just stop. On opening it up, in 2006, I
found a motherboard with a Pentium processor on board. It
was untouched from when it had been built in around 1994.
The CPU fan was no longer moving and the amount of caked on
dust - complete with microscopic motor oil - had formed a
solid cake around the cooling fins. After removing the dirt,
the fan spun back into life and the computer was once again
rock-solid.
That is the definition of abused electronics.
Yes, in case you're wondering, I did recommend replacing
the computer, but out in the back roads of Australia, that's
easier said than done.
Story aside, I came to the conclusion that while abuse
might reduce the circuit life from a millennium down to a
century, that was unlikely to happen in my lifetime.
Back to the ex-military gear.
Based on Colin's comments, his historic radio, and my
insights into the scale of abuse and their impact, I'm more
inclined today than I was yesterday to investigate.
I will note that I'm spoilt for choice. I can pretty much
buy off the shelf any gadget required, limited by my
imagination and my budget, but that wasn't true for several
of my amateur friends. I know of several modifications of
aviation and military rigs, born from necessity, that
eventually made it into amateur radio and come to think of
it, there's not much difference from me adding a serial
interface to my Commodore VIC 20 back in the 1980's.
Before I start shopping for radios that glow in the dark,
there is another consideration. I did the same with
computers over 20 years ago. I ended up with about a dozen
of them in my office. Today that's replaced by a single one
that runs as many virtual computers as I need.
In radio terms, do I fill my shack with boxes, or should
I spend my efforts on getting an RF signal into a black box
with SDR written on the side? It's hard to know what the
differences are without seeing both sides of the equation,
but I'm sure that at my next hamfest I'll be looking around
with different coloured glasses.
Thank you to Colin VK2JCC for asking the question and
showing his toys.
I'm Onno VK6FLAB
VDSL interference
The RSGB report that in many areas of the UK, all of the
HF amateur bands up to and including 20m are being blighted
by interference from VDSL (Very high-speed
Digital Subscriber Line).
This is the most widespread means of providing
residential broadband internet services in the UK. Ofcom,
which is responsible for investigating radio interference,
says that it receives, on average, only six complaints per
year on the topic and won’t take any significant action.
The RSGB urges all who are suffering from VDSL
interference to submit complaints to Ofcom. Many have
already submitted complaints to Ofcom but they would like
yet more people to submit complaints. Ofcom has yet to be
persuaded to take action.
Ham radio antennas proposed at East Vancouver home
A radio amateur in East Vancouver has applied for a
permit to enhance a property with three ham radio
antennas
The radio amateur has submitted the
application under the name of Little Hippo
Enterprises.
The Straight.com site
says:
According to City Hall, the project will
increase the height of the house at 439 East 54th Avenue
by about 18 feet.
In a letter to the city, Little
Hippo Enteprises wrote that amateur radio, which is
commonly called ham radio, is useful during emergencies.
According to the applicant, amateur radio does not
rely on the Internet and phone service.
If
electricity goes down, Little Hippo Enterprises wrote
that it can “shift over the main power to batteries or
generator”.
“As of 1991 in Hong Kong, I have been
a licensed Ham Radio operator, I brought this passion
with me to Canada in 2000…,” the applicant wrote.
Little Hippo Enterprises explained that “antenna
length is critical for any given frequency and it can be
quite long”.
“I truly believe that amateur radio
will have a lasting role in technical and cultural
education for enthusiasts, as well as general public
safety where means of alternative communication is
needed,” the applicant stated.
Eighty-one years ago, a broadcast of Orson Welles’s War
of the Worlds supposedly
caused mass hysteria in America, as listeners thought
martians had invaded New Jersey.
There are varying accounts of the controversial incident, and
it remains a topic of fascination, even today.
Back when Welles’s fictional martians attacked, broadcast
radio was considered a state-of-the-art technology.
And since the first transatlantic radio signal was
transmitted in 1901 by
Guglielmo Marconi, radio has greatly innovated the way we
communicate.
Dots and dashes
Before Marconi, German physicist
Heinrich Hertz discovered and transmitted the first
radio
waves in 1886. Other individuals later developed
technologies that could send radio waves across the seas.
At the start of the 20th century, Marconi’s system dominated
radio wave-based media. Radio was called “wireless telegraphy”
as it was considered a telegraph without the wires, and did what
telegraphs had done globally since 1844.
Messages were sent in Morse code as dots and dashes from one
point to another via radio waves. At the time, receiving radio
required specialists to translate the dots and dashes into
words.
The more refined technology underpinning broadcast radio was
developed during the first world war, with “broadcast” referring
to the use of radio waves to transmit audio from one point to
many listeners.
This year, organised broadcast radio turns 100. These days
it’s considered a basic technology, but that may be why it
remains such a vital medium.
SOS: the Titanic sinks
By 1912, radio was used to run economies, empires and armed
forces.
Its importance for shipping was obvious - battleships,
merchant ships and passenger ships were all equipped with it.
People had faith in technological progress and radio provided
proof of how modern machines benefited humans.
However, the sinking of the Titanic that year caused a crisis
in the world’s relationship with technology, by revealing its
fallibility. Not even the newest technologies such as radio
could avoid disaster.
Some argue radio use may have increased the ship’s death
toll, as the
Titanic’s radio was outdated and wasn’t intended to be used
in an emergency. There were also accusations that amateur “ham
radio” operators had hogged the bandwidth, adding to an
already confusing and dire situation.
Nonetheless, the Titanic’s
SOS signal
managed to reach another ship, which led to the rescue of
hundreds of passengers. Radio remains the go-to medium when
disasters strike.
Making masts and networks
Broadcast radio got traction in the early 1920s and spread
like a virus. Governments, companies and consumers started
investing in the amazing new technology that brought the sounds
of the world
into the
home.
Huge networks of transmitting towers and radio stations
popped-up across continents, and factories churned out millions
of radio receivers to meet demand.
Some countries started major public broadcasting networks,
including the
BBC.
Radio stations sought ways around regulations and, by the mid
1930s, some broadcasters were operating stations that generated
up to 500,000 watts.
One Mexican station,
XERA, could be heard in New Zealand.
Hearing the Hindenburg
On May 6, 1937, journalist Herbert Morrison was experimenting
with recording news bulletins for radio when the
Hindenburg
airship burst into flames.
His famous commentary, “Oh the humanity”, is often mistaken
for a live broadcast, but
it was actually a recording.
Along with being portable, radio sound quality improved after
the rise of
FM
broadcasting in the 1960s. While both FM and AM are
effective ways to modulate carrier waves, FM (frequency
modulation) offers better audio quality and less noise compared
to AM (amplitude modulation).
Music on FM radio sounded as good as on a home stereo. Rock
and roll and the revolutionary changes of the 1960s started to
spread via the medium.
AM radio was reserved for talkback, news and sport.
Beeps in space
In 1957, radio experienced lift-off when the USSR launched
the world’s first satellite.
Sputnik 1 didn’t do much other than broadcast a regular
“beep” sound by radio.
Meanwhile on Earth, radio stations continue to use the
internet to extend their reach beyond that of analogue
technologies.
Social media helps broadcasters generate and spread content,
and digital editing tools have boosted the possibilities of what
can be done with podcasts and radio documentaries.
The radio industry has learnt to use digital plenitude to the
max, with broadcasters
building archives and producing an endless flood of material
beyond what they broadcast.
This year marks a century of organised broadcast radio around
the world.
Media such as movies, television, the internet and podcasts
were expected to sound its death knell. But radio embraces
new technology. It survives,
and advances.
FRIDAY EDITION: Pretty
quiet on the 3843 splinter group driven away from Bobby's antics
on 3919. What's going on? They have had problems with nets on
either side of them at night making reception a problem....3927
and the Southern Bible thumpers led by Bruce were doing a bible
study last night....If you are wearing a cloth mask to protect
yourself from the virus, it is like putting up a chain link
fence to stop mosquitos from coming into your yard...JCPENNY
filing bankruptcy, CEO still gets 4.5 million dollar salary...THE
GREAT GEOMAGNETIC STORM OF MAY 1921:
99 years ago this week, people around the world
woke up to some unusual headlines....
French special event
Members of the French Radio Club APRA62 (F4KLR) will be
active as TM18JUIN during the following dates
in May (23-24th, 30-31st) and June (6-7th, 13-14th, 18-21st,
27th).
Activity is to commemorate General Charles de Gaulle's appeal
to the French on the BBC (June 18th, 1940) to continue to
resisting the German occupation, refuse defeat and to continue
fighting with him in Great Britain, within the Free French
Forces. All ops will be waiving white surender flags
ARRL Announces New Life 70+ Membership....if you join at 70,
you would not break even until you were 85....what a deal!
The ARRL Board of Directors recently voted to create a
special Life Membership opportunity for individuals who are
at least 70 years old. Starting on June 1, the Life 70+
Membership will be available to individuals who have turned
70 and have a combined 25 years of paid annual ARRL
membership.
Life 70+ Members receive all benefits of an annual
membership, including their choice of print magazine
delivery (QST or On the Air), and digital
access to these publications, plus the digital versions of
QEX and National Contest Journal (NCJ). In
addition, each Life 70+ Member will receive a Life Member
pin and a window decal and may purchase an exclusive Life
Member plaque.
Qualifying members selecting this level of
membership will enjoy the convenience of having to make a
single payment for their entire tenure as an ARRL Member and
not be subject to any future ARRL dues increase.
To apply for Life 70+ membership, individuals must
complete the special Life 70+ Member application — available
on June 1 — and submit proof of date of birth, if this
information is not already on file with ARRL. The
Life 70+ membership fee must be made in a single payment.
Past membership dues payments will not apply toward Life 70+
Membership, but a credit will be applied for applicants who
paid their dues in full between April 1 and May 31, 2020.
Life 70+ Membership Dues Rates
$750 US Life 70+
Membership
$750International
Digital Life 70+ Membership
$1,515International Life
70+ Membership with a Print Subscription
$250Family Life 70+
Membership as an add-on to a paid Life 70+ membership
ARRL reserves the right to change or substitute the
benefits, products, or services associated with a member's
original Life 70+ Member package at any time during the
membership. Dues are non-refundable.
A video of the talk on amateur radio satellites, EME,
Meteor scatter and the International Space Station by
Robin Moseley G1MHU given via Zoom on
Wednesday, May 13 is now available on YouTube
The talk was organised by the Denby Dale
Amateur Radio Society, their next talk on Zoom
will be by the Editor of Practical Wireless, Don
Field G3XTT, at 7:30pm BST on Wednesday, May
20, Zoom meeting ID 278 609 9353
On November 2, 2019, the HuskySat-1
CubeSat launched on the Cygnus NG-12 mission from
Wallops Island, Virginia, USA
The satellite was
constructed by the Husky Satellite Lab at the University
of Washington, and utilizes an AMSAT-constructed radio
system for primary communications.
Deployed from
the Cygnus vehicle on January 31, 2020 after departing
the ISS, HuskySat-1 began a 3-month educational mission.
Upon completion of that mission, the satellite began
operation of a V/u linear transponder in amateur
service.
At the request of the Husky Satellite
Lab and AMSAT teams, AMSAT hereby designates HuskySat-1
as HuskySat-OSCAR 107 (HO-107). We congratulate the
Husky Satellite Lab, thank them for their contribution
to the amateur satellite community, and wish them
continued success on this and future projects.
73, Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA
AMSAT VP Operations / OSCAR Number Administrator
Sable Island DXpedition (October 17-26th)
Randy, N0TG, reports: Hmmm..... Coronavirus Stay At
Home and bored---looking for something to do? Check out
our Sable Island Dxpedition Web site (www.CY0dxpedition.net).
Check out the sponsors, maybe even become one, visit the
team page to see who's who, and enjoy viewing the team's
previous video Dxpedition to St. Paul Island ---2019--- you
can even download it as MPG4 and share with friends,
clubs, etc. at:
http://cy0dxpedition.net/video-of-team-dxpedition--cy9c-2019.html
And, take the survey as to your Sable most needed band,
mode, ATNO, etc. Planning continues for OCTOBER 2020
New Facebook group to promote 40 MHz and 60 MHz activity
There has been an upsurge of interest of late in the the
low VHF spectrum around 40 MHz and 60 MHz as radio amateurs
in some countries have gained access to the experimental
8-metre and 5-metre bands.
Radio amateurs from Ireland, Lithuania, South Africa and
Slovenia can currently transmit on the 40 MHz band while
amateurs from several other European countries are
interested in trying cross band experiments, usually from
10-metres or 6-metres.
In order to promote the sharing of information about
equipment, antennas, propagation and tests, a new Facebook
group has now been established and anyone with an interest
in this part of the low VHF spectrum is welcome to join and
contribute.
Amateur Radio Gearing Up for Predicted Above Average
Atlantic Hurricane Season
Extended-range forecasts for the 2020 Atlantic Basin
hurricane season anticipate above-normal activity, although
a
low-pressure system now off the coast of
Florida could get a jump on things and develop into a
subtropical depression or storm this weekend. The Atlantic
hurricane season doesn’t start until June 1 and extends
until November 30. The National Hurricane Center (NHC)
2020 outlook calls for a season about 140% more active than
average, with four Category 3 to Category 5 hurricanes. The
2019 season saw three major hurricanes (out of six).
“The above-average prediction is largely due to the hot
Atlantic and Caribbean waters and lack of a substantial El
Niño in the Pacific,” the NHC explained, noting that the
combination of a busy hurricane season and the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic could create a nightmare scenario for
affected areas. FEMA and local emergency management agencies
are already issuing COVID-19 guidelines for hurricane
shelters, which include face masks and social distancing.
The NHC Annual Station Test — to check readiness of
amateur radio stations and operators — takes place on
Saturday, May 30, 1300 – 2100 UTC. The NHC’s
WX4NHC
will be on the air, marking its 40th year of public service
at the NHC. Julio Ripoll, WD4R, the Assistant Amateur Radio
Coordinator at the NHC, said the event offers an opportunity
for radio amateurs worldwide to exercise the sorts of
communications available during severe weather. “We will be
making brief contacts on many frequencies and modes,
exchanging signal reports and basic weather data — sunny,
rain, temperature, etc.) with any station in any location,”
Ripoll said.
Operation will be on HF, VHF, UHF, APRS, and Winlink.
WX4NHC will center its activity on the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN)
frequencies of 14.325 MHz and 7.268 MHz, depending on
propagation, but will operate elsewhere as conditions
dictate. WX4NHC will also operate on the
VoIP Hurricane Net
from 2000 until 2100 UTC.
New England Hams
you might run across 75
meters.........
K1TP-
Jon....Editor of As The World
Turns.... WB1ABC-
Ari..Bought an amp and now we
can here him on 75 meters,
worships his wife, obsessed with
Id'ing N1BOW-Phil...Retired
broadcast engineer, confused and
gullible, cheap, only uses
single ply toilet paper KB1OWO-
Larry...Handsome Fellow
,only cuts lawn in August, plows
snow the rest in Jackman, Maine W1GEK-
Big Mike....Nearfest Cook, big
motor home, electronics software
engineer ... AA1SB-
Neil...Living large traveling
the country with his
girlfriend...loves CW N1YX-
Igor....peddles quality Russian
keys, software engineer K1BGH...Art.....Restores
cars and radio gear, nice fella... N1XW.....Mike-easy
going, Harley riding kind of
guy!
K1JEK-Joe...Easy going, can
be found at most ham flea market
...Cobra Antenna builder.. KA1GJU-
Kriss- Tower climbing pilot who
cooks on the side at
Hosstrader's... W1GWU-Bob....one
of the Hosstrader's original
organizers, 75 meter regular,
Tech Wizard!!! K1PV-
Roger....75 meter regular, easy
going guy... W1XER...Scott....easy
going guy, loves to split
cordwood and hunt... WS1D-
Warren- "Windy" - Bullnet KB1VX-
Barry- the picture says it all,
he loves food! KC1BBU-
Bob....the Mud Duck from the
Cape Cod Canal, making a lot of
noise.
W1STS- Scott...philosopher,
hat connoisseur,
KB1JXU-
Matthew...75 meter regular...our
token liberal Democrat out of VT KA1BXB-Don....75
meter Regular......residing on
the Cape of Cod, flying planes
and playing radio KMIG-Rick....75
Meter Regular....teaches the
future of mankind, it's scary! K1PEK-Steve..Founder
of Davis-RF....my best friend
from high school K9AEN-John...Easy
going ham found at all the ham
fests K1BQT.....Rick....very
talented ham, loves his
politics, has designed gear for
MFJ...
W1KQ- Jim- Retired
Air Force
Controller...told quite a few
pilots where to go! N1OOL-Jeff-
The 3936 master plumber and
ragchewer... K1BRS-Bruce-
Computer Tech of 3936...multi
talented kidney stone passing
ham...
K1BGH- Arthur, Cape Cod,
construction company/ice cream
shop, hard working man.... W1VAK-
Ed, Cape Cod, lots of experience
in all areas, once was a Jacques
Cousteus body guard.... K1BNH-
Bill- Used to work for a bottled
gas company-we think he has been
around nitrous oxide to long .
Silent Key
K1BXI- John.........Dr.
Linux....fine amateur radio op
....wealth of experience... Silent KeyVA2GJB-
Graham...one of the good 14313
guys back in the day.
Silent KeyK1BHV-
David...PITA
Silent Key
W1JSH-
Mort...Air Force man
Silent KeyK1MAN--Glen....PITA
Silent KeyKB1CJG-"Cobby"-
Low key gent can be found on
many of the 75 meter
nets.........
Silent KeyWB1AAZ-
Mike, Antrim, NH, auto parts
truck driver-retired
Silent KeyWB1DVD-
Gil....Gilly..Gilmore.....easy
going, computer parts selling,
New England Ham..
Silent Key W1OKQ-
Jack....3936 Wheeling and
Dealing......keeping the boys on
there toes....
Silent KeyW1TCS-
Terry....75 meter
regular, wealth of electronic
knowledge...
Silent Key
WIPNR-
Mack....DXCC Master, worked them
all!.. 3864 regular for many
years...
Silent Key
WILIM-
Hu....SK at 92... 3864
regular for many years...
Silent Key N1SIE-
Dave....Loves to fly
Silent Key:N1WBD-
Big Bob- Tallest ham, at 6'10",
of the 3864 group
Silent Key:W1FSK-Steve....Navy
Pilot, HRO Salesman, has owned
every radio ever built!
Silent Key:W4NTI-Vietnam
Dan....far from easy going cw
and ssb op on 14275/313
Silent Key:K1FUB-Bill-
Loved ham radio....
Icom
have announced details about the launch of the
IC-705 QRP SDR ultra-portable transceiver. 
